It’s not a stretch to say Parks and Recreation launched Chris Pratt’s career. He had a few acting credits before the show started in 2009, including a short stint on The O.C., but Pratt’s pre-Parks and Rec output was nothing like what came after. And just think, his sleep-deprived audition for the show almost backfired. Now, Pratt acts in Marvel Cinematic Universe movies, stars in the Jurassic World series, and is a genuine action hero in the eyes of one co-star. With Jurassic World Dominion about to hit theaters and expected to perform well, let’s take a look at the seven Pratt movies with the best opening weekends.
A few notes: We only considered starring roles or large parts, so his early movies and films like Wanted (in which he has a minor role) aren’t included. We also did not consider the Avengers movies since he was one of several stars (and it would make for an unlevel playing field). All figures are adjusted to 2022 dollars using an online inflation calculator. Original opening weekend figures courtesy of IMDb.
7. ‘The Magnificent Seven’: $41.8 million
- Release Date: Sept. 23, 2016
The revisionist remake of the classic Steve McQueen and Yul Brynner western featured Pratt sharing the screen with Denzel Washington, Ethan Hawke, Vincent D’Onofrio, and others. It wasn’t a critical darling or a box office behemoth, but it took in $34.7 million when it opened in 2016, which translates to nearly $42 million in 2022.
6. ‘Onward’: $43.7 million
- Release Date: March 6, 2020
Leave it to Pixar to make a bunch of trolls lovable. Pratt and Tom Holland star as Barley and Ian Lightfoot, respectively, two trolls trying to spend one day with their long-deceased father. This touching movie contains the normal Pixar easter eggs, and with its $39.1 million haul in 2020, it remains one of the Pratt movies with the best opening weekends.
5. ‘The Lego Movie’: $84.3 million
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- Release Date: Feb. 7, 2014
Before he made Onward and before the Lego Movie series had consecutive box office disappointments, Pratt starred as Emmet Brickowski in the 2014 original. It was Pratt’s first voice role in a major motion picture, and it turned out to be a winner. It earned $69 million its first weekend in 2014, and it recorded more than $468 million worldwide when it finished its theatrical run.
4. ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’: $115.1 million
- Release Date: Aug. 1, 2014
It seems like a sure thing now, but a movie about a little-known comic book starring Pratt alongside a green alien, a talking raccoon, and a sentient tree wasn’t a slam dunk in 2014. But audiences turned out for it big time. It hauled in $94.3 million its first weekend, which translates to more than $115 million in 2022, to be one of the Pratt movies with the best opening weekends. It earned more than $773 million worldwide, and die-hard fans say it might be the best MCU movie of all.
3. ‘Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom’: $170.4 million
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- Release Date: June 22, 2018
Once Pratt proved his action movie chops with Guardians of the Galaxy, he started turning out a series of blockbusters. He followed GotG with the first Jurassic World movie, and this sequel landed roughly a year after the second Guardians movie. Fallen Kingdom banked just over $148 million in 2018 to notch one of Pratt’s best opening weekends, and it made $1.3 billion worldwide when all was said and done.
2. ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 2’: $172.8 million
- Release Date: May 5, 2017
The second GotG movie opens with an unforgettable brouhaha scored by Electric Light Orchestra, and it takes viewers on another epic adventure. Epic also described the box office performance. It’s No. 2 on the list of Pratt movies with the best opening weekends GotG debuted with $146.5 million in 2017 on its way to $863.7 total at the worldwide box office.
1. ‘Jurassic World’: $254.7 million
- Release Date: June 12, 2015
No other Pratt movies had an opening weekend like this. Neither did nearly any other movie ever made. Jurassic World opened with $208.8 million in 2015, which places it sixth on the list of movies with the best opening weekends, per Box Office Mojo. It made $1.6 billion at the worldwide box office, making it the Pratt movie with the best opening weekend and the biggest blockbuster of his career.
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